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This summer promises to be an exciting one for sports enthusiasts with UEFA Euro 2024, Wimbledon Championships, The Open Championship and the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris. Amidst this excitement, we've been delving into the world of sports literature, discovering why these books are so captivating.
Whether exploring sports we know nothing about or delving into familiar ones, books about sports occupy a unique niche. They combine the thrill of athletic competition with rich storytelling, offering readers a window into the intricate lives of athletes. These narratives open us up to the emotional highs and lows while unravelling team dynamics and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
From the meticulous preparation and sheer determination of athletes to the intense pressure of high-stakes competition, sports books bring these experiences to life. They allow us to understand the dedication required, the sacrifices made, and the triumphant moments that define sporting careers. As we gear up for a summer packed with sporting events, let's also celebrate the power of sports literature.
The Big Sporting Read - a new national celebration of reading - is a collaboration between The Reading Agency and BBC Arts, aiming to use the power of sport to inspire readers across the UK – highlighting the links between sporting excellence, reading, health and wellbeing. You can find some of the recommended titles below in our library catalogue for borrowing.
Find the reading list on our Library Catalogue:
Recommended Titles
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork - not the old fashioned, grubby pushing and shoving, but the new, fast football with pointy hats for goalposts and balls that go gloing when you drop them. And now, the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match, without using magic.
An inspiring memoir of finding strength and resilience from the former England Lioness. From the football cages of East London to broadcasting to millions, the engine powering Alex Scott's remarkable journey has always been her resilience.
Samia Omar grows up in war-torn Somalia, dreaming of being a world-class sprinter. After achieving a place on the national team to compete in the Beijing Olympics, she sets her sights on the 2012 games in London. But with the war encroaching on the lives of her family, Samia decides to join her sister and make the treacherous journey to Europe.
In 1974 the brilliant and controversial Brian Clough made perhaps his most eccentric decision: he accepted the position of Leeds United manager. A successor to Don Revie, his bitter adversary, Clough was to last just 44 days.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
The True story about the American rowing triumph of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. An intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.
In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a slew of critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and on his writing.
This is the astonishing history of women's football: from the game's first appearance in England in the late nineteenth century through to its fifty-year ban in the UK and the aftershocks when restrictions were lifted.
In 2018, amateur cyclist Jenny Graham left family and friends behind in Scotland to become the fastest woman to cycle around the world. Alone and unsupported, she crossed the finish line at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin four months later, smashing the female record by nearly three weeks.
A hilarious, heartfelt, nostalgia-infused story of sport, loss and the journey of a lifetime.
Torvill & Dean finally open up about the challenges they have faced and the pressures of life in the public eye: Jayne speaks candidly about her struggle with husband Phil to start a family, while Chris reveals the heartache in his family story. And of course, there is the skating, and the stories about what inspired their famous routines.
